Archive for Sudden Insight Anthology

The last 3 1/2 months have been spent trying our best to find a way to work around some very serious issues that arose during the judging phase of the 2016 Short Story Contest. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to work around these issues, we have had to make a very tough decision.

At this time, we have decided not to publish the 2016 anthology. Due to the issues we encountered, we have also canceled plans for future anthologies, and will not be holding another short story contest.

This was not an easy decision to make. We know that the authors of the winning stories worked very hard on their submissions, and we very much looked forward to publishing these amazing short stories. However, the quality of the remaining submissions was not up to our standards; the number of submissions that failed to follow one or more of the contest guidelines was distressingly high, and many submissions had not been edited at all, or appeared to be the first draft of a story. Attempts to correct some of the issues in stories we felt might have promise proved to be futile. In the end, we felt that cobbling together a book with what little we had that was readable would be horribly unfair to the winning stories.

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First of all, it’s still in the works. We’ve hit some bumps in the road, but we’ll address them all and keep moving toward our scheduled publication date despite them. We’ll also share a little about some of them, in the interest of transparency to what we’re up to over here at Sudden Insight Publishing. But that’s another post, truly worthy of a ‘story between the stories’ moniker. Right now, it’s time to discuss one thing.

We have chosen the winners! In case anyone forgot, this was a contest with prizes. For those that didn’t forget, thank you for your patience. The day is finally here. Rather than mix them up in some silly order that is supposed to build suspense but really just causes frustration, we’ll start with first place and go from there:

First Place goes to ‘Next Jen’, by Ian Williams. It comes with a cash prize award of $100. Congratulations, Ian Williams! This story was both touching and humorous, and a unanimous winner.

Second Place goes to ‘The Wizard’s Timepiece’, by L.G. Surgeson. It comes with a cash prize of $50. Congratulations, L.G. Surgeson! This story was well crafted and very fun to read.

Third Place goes to ‘One More Dance’, by C.A. Keith. It comes with a cash prize of $25. Congratulations, C.A. Keith! This story was sweet and tender, under some harsh layered reality.

Honorable Mention goes to ‘Brian Green the Biologist’ by Alicia Walker. Congratulations, Alicia Walker! This story had some strong things to say, and some clever ways to say them.

Sudden Insight Publishing will contact the winners shortly to distribute the cash prizes. All other entrants will be contacted individually concerning their submission. We appreciate the time and effort that went in to the stories that we received, and we are grateful for all of the submissions.

Check back here for more news on the anthology, and other Sudden Insight Publishing undertakings. Thanks for reading!

All the best,
Jay

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Dawn came up with a great idea last year. She suggested that we put together an anthology, solicit all the authors we could reach out to for submissions, and donate all of the profits to the SPCA. Our newest family member was a gift from their compassionate no-kill program. The love of our adorable little forever puppy prompted us to try to give back. The ebook version of Paws for a Taleis now available, and the print version is in its final stages of approval.

We learned a lot from Paws for a Tale. It was a wonderful experience overall, but there were definitely some unforeseen hurdles. Luckily, we specialize in learning here at Sudden Insight Publishing; we know that’s the best way to turn any problem into growth. So we learned; and in learning, we realized that we were really enjoying this whole ‘putting together an anthology’ process. Before the first was even close to done, we were already talking about how we could make putting the next one together a more user-friendly system for both us (referred to henceforth as ‘the publisher’) and the talent (referred to henceforth as ‘the contributor’ or ‘the contributors’). Read more

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Today is the release date for Sudden Insight Publishing’s first anthology, and what an exciting day it is! It marks the end of a lot of hard work, to the projects within projects that were pulling this all together; and a beginning to all of our efforts having a chance to help a worthwhile cause. Profits from the sales of this publication will go to the SPCA, as thanks from all of the contributors to a special and worthwhile cause. Read more

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2016 is starting off with a bang at Sudden Insight Publishing headquarters. We have several projects in the works at the moment, and thought you’d like to know just what we’re up to…

We’re getting ready to release our very first anthology, Paws for a Tale, on January 29th. This volume includes eight short stories that tie-in to a series or book that each author has previously published, but every single tale stands on its own. It’s a great way to get a little taste of what these authors write, as well as help a deserving charity. All profits from this book will be donated to the SPCA, as our way of saying thank you for all of the wonderful things they do for abused animals.

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We’ve been hard at work getting the very first Sudden Insight Publishing charity anthology ready, and are so very pleased to finally be able to announce the release date (as well as the title)!

Paws for a Tale will be released in ebook format on January 29th, 2016. Inside it’s electronic pages you will find eight short stories from eight indie authors – Linda Deane, Adam Dreece, Beth Gualda, David M. Kelly, Megan O’Russell, Michael R. Stern, L.G. Surgeson, and our very own J.K. Norry. Each story is a little glimpse into the world of a book or series the author has already published, but never fear; every single tale stands on it’s own. We’re incredibly pleased with this set of stories, and we think you will be as well.

All profits from Paws for a Tale will be going to the SPCA (If you don’t know why we picked this charity, read Jay’s blog posts here and here).

And now, let’s get to that cover, shall we?

Our sincere thanks go out to David M. Kelly for designing the paw/heart artwork on the cover, and to all of the authors for their input on the title.

We’ll have more information on how to get your copy of Paws for a Tale soon, as well as details on the paperback release date. Stay tuned!

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Hello there, friends! Dawn from SIP here, popping in to remind you all that there are just seven days left to submit your short story for our charity anthology benefitting the SPCA. We’ve received several great stories so far, but we know there are more out there, and we want to read them! This is a great way to promote your series or stand-alone titles, and help abused/homeless animals find a forever home at the same time. It’s a win/win for everyone!

So what are you waiting for? Send in that submission!

If you’re interested in submitting a story, or would like more information about this project, visit our anthology page here.

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Back to school shopping is looming, the freezer is out of popsicles, and your vacation money is spent. Summer’s almost gone . . . it’s time to start planning for the Fall. Here at Sudden Insight Publishing headquarters, we’re working hard to make sure you have some great indie books to read in the coming months! So what exactly are we working on? Read on and find out . . .

Anthology submissions are starting to come in, and we’re very excited to dig in to all of the stories that have been submitted so far. If you haven’t submitted your short story to us yet, don’t worry, you still have time. Deadline Day is August 31st! For more information about the Sudden Insight anthology benefitting the SPCA, click here – Charity Anthology.

In other news, we’re pleased to announce that J. K. Norry will be releasing the final book of his “Walking Between Worlds” series on December 1st, 2015. Titled “Fall of the Walker King”, this book wraps up the exciting saga of Walkers and war begun in “Demons & Angels” and continued in “Rise of the Walker King”. We anticipate that you’ll be able to preorder “Fall of the Walker King” in ebook or paperback format in early November, just in time for the holidays!

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[If you’d like to start with Part 1: I am not a Dog Person, click here]

I may have mentioned it before, but I’m not a dog person. One of the beings I care for the most in this world was the topic of part one of this post, and the fact that he is of canine persuasion has not escaped my attention. That does not make me a dog person; I just love my buddy very much, and that’s what he happens to be.

So there I was, on the website for the local SPCA looking for a buddy for my buddy. I knew what I had in mind, and that the final decision was not mine, and I fully expected the search to be a long one. I am rarely won over easily. I had not yet considered that the Universe had coaxed my thought in this direction, or that it might have a particular rescue already in mind. Read more

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Please don’t call me a dog person; I’m not. Should you see me walking a little black dog dripping with cuteness or a big brown one lit up with love, don’t go and get the wrong idea. If you hear my voice rise to an excited falsetto proclaiming my love as I pet the aforementioned critters, don’t be fooled. I am not a dog person.

I met the big brown one first. He was attached to the girl I love, and she to him. We sat down together, Mammoth and I, and had a man-to-dog talk when he and I first began to share a home. I explained to him that I am not a dog person; nothing personal or anything, I’ve just never been a fan. I went on to explain that we could still live together and perhaps even enjoy each other’s company in some small way. I know myself, I told him, and I just don’t see my feelings about this changing. Read more